Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Delivers a big beer with rich bourbon. Aged and that added to richness. Black, thick head, fuller mouthfeel. Solid porter, and drinkable, but too big a beer to have on a regular basis. Chocolate and understated roast.A spot of wood and coffee.Worth a try.

Bottle done side-by-side with the regular version courtesy of rmalinowski4. Thanks as well to jale for gifting me a bottle to cellar. Served in a snifter.

Pours black with a very, very thin light tan head. A few spots of lacing on the way down, though they don't stick. Half a cap as well. The nose carries a nice, smooth bourbon presence along with some chocolate and roast. Touch of coffee along with some light oak and vanilla. Uber-smooth. The barrel character really shines in the flavor, and carries a good amount of vanilla and light chocolate with it. Good moderate roast in the background, and a bit of oak and accompanying tannin on the backend and through the finish. Medium, chewy body with low carbonation and a really nice creaminess. Barrel-aging well done, Arcadia. Solid brew that I'd love to have ready access to.

A: The beer is black when viewed from afar but very dark brownish red near the edges of the glass when held up to a bright light. It poured with a short white that quickly died down, leaving only wispy lacing on the surface. S: Moderate aromas of bourbon and associated vanilla are present in the smell. T: The taste follows the smell and has moderately strong flavors of vanilla and bourbon. No alcohol is perceptible. M: It feels medium-bodied and finishes a little thin on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. Slight bits of warming from the alcohol are perceptible. O: This beer tastes nothing like a 12% abv beer and is incredible drinkable because the alcohol is very well hidden.

huge fan of the style, i say that a lot, but this bourbon barrel edition has to be one of the most decadent beverages going. at 12% abv and with enough boozy sweetness to render its lager yeast past a distant memory. a half shade lighter than shiny black shoe polish, the head surges near the rim of the glass on the pour, and only relaxes slowly. it smells incredible, dry fruity must, the wood is very very prominent, and the lack of bitterness in the malt base means the sweetness of the bourbon is high. they may have overshot the grain bill just a bit, as this beastly bodied brew has enough sugar to keep on going up. good bourbon barrels i suspect, as there are no weird thin fusel notes on this, and the charcoal aspect is there all the way. ashy almost burnt malt flavor in the middle, before it gives way to traces of rum, licorice, and espresso. potting soil earthiness to it as well before the sugars come on. the alcohol is very strong, no denying that, i wonder what lager yeast they used to get it here. the science is as interesting as the final product. a bold but elegant brew on the whole, my first form arcadia. maybe not my favorite baltic porter, as the thing that makes that style awesome is paved over a bit here, but the beer is of astounding quality. id like to cellar one awhile. thanks to thebrewo for opening this one with me!

cracked this bad boy open as my night cap after a long day of hobo tasting at the railroad tracks. served into a pint glass while i watched tv.

poured out black as night with a thick oil like look to it and a big tan head that left streaks of lace all throughout the glass, really a damn near perfect look with a wonderful settling.

aroma is deep bourbon, oak, vanilla, hints of dark roasted malts, coffee, bitter ark chocolate and a rich and roasty profile that is cut with a slight touch of alcohol, really very well done here. each sip was better then the one before as the thick liquid coated the tongue and left no room for an error. boozy bourbon and vanilla creep across the palate with hints of molasses and chocolate, chewy at times with a bit of heat left in the finish as well. warming brings out a hint of dark fruit notes that gently graze the palate. smooth and strong finish leaves a long taste that lingers forever.

overall a fantastic beer that you really need to seek out. one of the best i have had in a long time. i would have to really, really recommend this one.

Appearance: Pours a dark but clear brown. A finger of light tan head forms and then quickly recedes to a thin collar.

Smell: Straight fucking bourbon. It isn't boozy, surprisingly enough, but the barrel is overwhelming. I let it warm up a bit expecting more porter to come through more, and eventually I detect a hint of chocolate and roasted malt, but it remains ridiculously barrel forward. Still, it's enjoyable if you like a lot of bourbon character in your -bal aged beer (as I do).

Taste & mouthfeel: Bourbon, caramel, chocolate, bourbon, whiskey, oak. Did they just pour a shot of bourbon into each bottle? It's one-dimensional but enjoyable. The body is medium-full and there's a touch of dark fruit in the finish.

Into a snifter it pours out a reddish brown, no foam at first but later a thin cap of tan foam materializes. Soon it dwindles to a thin ring around the edge, no lacing. Still and glassy surface.

Brown sugar, vanilla, roast and earthy chocolate notes in the nose, seemingly dry and subdued even when at room temperature.

Flavors are similarly muted, drowned out by a steamrolling astringency and a deadening alcoholic presence. Some vague vanilla, roasty malt, and boozy barrel elements. Body is oddly thin and boozy also. Seems like the alcohol got a little too rampant, the barrel obliterated the nuances of the original Porter. Wafting heat rises off the palate, leaving a bone dry finish with some lingering roast malt in the aftertaste, but it lacks nuance and depth. Not something i'd revisit, or consider all that successful overall. More body and less alcohol would definitely improve things...

Never thought I'd see this on the shelf at my local stores, much less in relative abundance. It pours a nearly onyx black-brown topped by a minor bit of dirty ash foam. The nose comprises bourbon, oak, light roasted malts, and a dusting of cocoa powder. There's some minor heat in the background, but not enough to warm the nose uncomfortably. The taste brings in more of the same, along with some dark chocolate, light molasses, and a distinctive heavy touch of licorice. The licorice detracts a bit with its strength (rather than helping things by blending in better with the rest of the flavors). The body is a hefty medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a fairly smooth feel. Overall, a solid beer, but it doesn't really come all the way together for me.

I've had this bottle in the cellar since last Dark Lord Day. Poured into a Hunahpu's snifter.

Appearance: The beer pours a very dark brown, almost black color. There is a very little bit of off white head that leaves a small ring around the pour.

Smell: This one smells like it is going to have some heat to it. I'm getting some bourbon and roasted malt along with a dark fruit sweetness. The warmth is rather nice.

Taste: The flavor of this one isn't as full as I would have thought given the smell. There is a very strong bourbon flavor, but the rest of the taste pales a bit in comparison. I'm getting some peppery notes from the bourbon along with a strong roasted malt presence. The finish is bitter and full of roast. Chocolate and dark fruit notes are there, but they're really overshadowed.

Mouthfeel: The body is just on the thin side of what I would have wanted for this beer. The carbonation is very thick and smooth with a dry finish. I really need more body here.

Overall: I would say that I thought this beer was a bit underwhelming. I needed a more full flavor and a thicker body. I don't think I need any more in the future.

Well I've had Shipwreck Porter a few times, but I've never really cared for it and never even put my thoughts down on it. Here goes a 12 ounce of the Barrel Aged 12% version. Pours a pitch black hue with a thicket of tan head dwindles slow and leaves chunks of scattered lacing. Aroma has a full on bourbon nose, with hints of caramel/vanilla creaminess. Dark roasted malts provide a touch of black chocolate but is pretty much overshadowed by the bourbon barrel aging. Touch of oak and strong sweet bourbon notes, I'm thinking you really have to love bourbon to drink this beer. To compare this to KBS is unfair, two totally different types of BBA beers. Flavor is full of intense booze and bourbon flavors, that 12 percent is packing some heat instead of abv I feel like I should be talking what proof this is. The base porter doesn't stand up to the barrel, it totally absorbs all of the bourbon barreal effects inlcuding toasted/charred oak, sweet bourbon, hints of vanilla/caramelized dark sugars. Mouthfeel is medium bodied carbonation is low, I'm sure alot is lost during barrel aging. Head formed nicely though I'm not calling this flat in anyway. A warming effect with each sip from the 12 percent abv or 24 proof. Overall you better like you some bourbon or your not going to care for this particular beer, I could give a non bourbon drinker a KBS but if I gave this one to them they may be a bit offended by the straight up bourbon character if their not used to it.

Pours an effervescent mahogany with 3 fingers of mocha head. Very good lacing & above average lacing

S: Bourbon, dark fruit, loads of cherries & figs

T: Follows the nose, big fig notes, some cherry, a touch of boozeyness. Some earthy hops, & boozey figs as this warms, the bourbon part fades, but oakyness is still fairly assertive. Finishes fruitty, woody, some what hoppy (herbal hops mostly) & dry with a nice cherry flourish

MF: Medium bodied, fairly assertive carbonation, fairly warming

A decent barrel aged porter, started stronger than it finished. Drinks a bit slow